7 Non-Boring Healthy Work Lunches To Pack For The Office

ELLE spoke to Jacqueline Alwill, qualified nutritionist and creator of The Brown Paper Bag, to find out her favourite recipes for people who take their lunches to work.

These meals aim for ease and simplicity to make in the morning rush, transportable to survive the commute and stress-free to make up a batch on Sunday night.

Steamed greens with poached chicken and tahini dressing

Steam vegetables the night before and eat them cold with shredded poached chicken and a drizzle of tahini.

Chopped salad with plenty of herbs and a small tin of salmon or sardines

Small tins of salmon or sardines are great to have on hand to add great quality protein to meals of any type and are rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids which help satisfy hunger and stabilise energy levels.

A nutritious loaf of bread is easy to make on a Sunday to have on hand throughout the week or freeze and eat in the following week. Try to integrate vegetables (carrot, zucchini, sweet potato, pumpkin and onion work well) with quinoa and buckwheat to optimize the nutrition in your loaf.

Vege and chickpea soup

Vege soups are great to make up in advance and freeze in portion sizes. If you keep the vegetable soup as the master stock you can add your own pieces of chicken, legumes or meat on the days you pull it out to eat and it won't taste the same every time. Top up with leafy green vegetables like spinach or kale for an added health boost.

Left over slow cooked meats tossed through salads

Slow cooking a shoulder of lamb or pork is a great dinner-come-lunch option because it is so versatile, nutritious and incredibly flavoursome. Add shredded pieces to soup, a sandwich or cold in salads.

Vege wraps

These are one of my favourite go to lunch time wraps. I think it's great you can still have the sandwich/wrap experience but keep it light by using cabbage, kale or cos lettuce leaves to wrap the ingredients inside. Grated carrot, snow pea sprouts, red onion, coriander, mint, grated beetroot, leftover roast pumpkin pieces and a quick omelette are wonderful ingredients to include and will keep your lunch colourful, nutritious and fun.

Anything Goes Frittata

I'll often make up a frittata during the week and throw in whatever is in my vegetable drawer and needs some use with fresh herbs, grated parmesan, feta or goat cheese. It's a great way to use things on hand and easy to slice up to take to work.